Tech products that will boost your productivity

Technology plays a huge part in my life. Not only do I use it socially and creatively but I don’t think I’d be able to cope without these gadgets. I use technology to organise my life, work and social calendar. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that but I really hope no one asks me to go without any of these for any length of time.

iPad

I happen to have an iPad but any tablet would do. Having a device that syncs your emails, calendar and files can be really handy. I use Dropbox for all of my work and this goes to my various computers, my iPad and my phone. Who needs downtime, right?

I’m one of the cool kids (hipsters?) that sits in a coffee shop tapping away on my tablet. It enables me to do work on the go, whether that’s responding to emails, writing blog posts or keeping up with social media.

Kindle

Understandably, a lot of people use the Kindle for leisure reading and while a good portion of my time spent in front of this device is with a novel of some sort, it’s also great for acedemic and non-fiction reading too. It’s lighter than my iPad so can be popped into a bag ready for the day ahead, whether I envision needing it or not. If I get some time to myself, I can use it to brush up on my search engine optimization skills or to learn something new about fashion photography.

Canon EOS M

I tend to prefer to take my own photos for blog posts and articles but when I had a full size DSLR camera, I didn’t take it with me everywhere I went. It was heavy and cumbersome and only really suitable for events and shoots when I knew I had to get pictures. If I went to an impromptu lunch or stepped into a beautiful boutique, I’d have to spend time sourcing photos from elsewhere for any reviews I wanted to write.

Enter the compact DSLRs. I toyed between the Nikon models and the Canon EOS M for a while but eventually went with this beautiful piece of technology. I am a Canon girl, always have been. Why change that?

Having the power of a DSLR in such a small body now enables me to take photos wherever I go. I rarely leave the house without my camera. This means that street style shots, restaurant reviews and mirror selfies are now at my finger tips.

Misfit Shine

Are you more productive when you take regular breaks? Most people are. A fitness tracker such as the Misfit Shine, Jawbone Up!, Fitbit or Nike Band will encourage you to get outside for a bit of fresh air. Just clearing your head with a short walk can help to increase productivity when you get back to the computer.

Rescue Time

This is a program that runs in the background while you work on a computer. You tell it what activities are productive and which ones are unproductive. At any time you can take a look at how you’re working and you can see which programs and websites are the biggest drain on your time. This can help you to streamline how you work so you stay productive at all the right times.

A second computer screen

Getting a second screen can revolutionize the way you work. I tend to have research in one window while I type in the other. This means I don’t have to go switching between browser tabs – and get distracted by Twitter in the process. (It also means I can edit photos in one screen and watch America’s Next Top Model in the other….)

My two screens are both ViewSonic monitors around the 22″ size. Plenty big enough for writing, photo editing, blogging, gaming and all the rest.

2 Comments

Oooh, rescue time sounds like a lifesaver!! I need someone to save some time for me… all this technology seems to make me less productive instead of more!! Great tips in here! (And I’m stealing my misfit shine from my husband one day… speaking of unproductive! I need to move more!!)

Rescue Time is amazing, Popcosmo. You get weekly email reports too. This week wasn’t that productive it seems although that’s probably because it took into account my five hour gaming session over the weekend!